Compensator device for controlling the unwinding of yarn, thread or similar materials.



G. MARCROFT.

COMPENSATOR DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING THE UNWINDING QF YARN, THREAD, 0R SIMILAR MATERIALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24, I914.

1,156,913. Y Patented Oct. 19, 1915.

Wamsssas 5 winding-spindles showingthe method of putting my new .de y

* "UNITED "STATESPATENT-014F195;

GEORGE MARcRoE'noE PROVIDENCE, EHonE ISLAND, AssmNoE TO UNIvEEsA'L WINDING COMPANY, 0E PORTLAND, MAINE, a coRPo ArIo VOF'MA-INE.

QoM E errca DEVICE E E C T QL I THE. UNWIND N 'b f YARN. THREAD, R

sm t-AB ATER A I T0 all'whomz'tmay concern. g

Be it known that I, GEORGE Manonor'r, 'a citizen of the United States, residing 'at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in .Compensator Devices for Controllingthe Unwinding .of Yarn, Thread, or Similar Materials, of'w-hich thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to compensator-devices for controlling the unwinding of yarn, threador similar materials in delivering the same to winding machines or other textile apparatus.

The object of my improvement is to pro-' vide means for controlling the unwinding or unreeling of theyarn or thread from spools, skeins or other supplies to maintain a smooth, even delivery thereof, and prevent snarling, kinking, straining or breaking of the material.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate like partsp In the drawings :l r I v Figure 1 is a view of a usual style of bobbin-winder showing my invention ape plied thereto; and Figs 2 and 3 areenlarged views showing structural details of the device. I 1

Referring first to Fig. l, Ihavehere illus; trated a well-known type of winding machine comprising, frame A mounted on a base or bed B and carrying bearings for a series of horizontal O. Arranged parallel with each winding-spindle C is a transversebar 1), also mounted in hearings in the frame A, and carrying a yarn orthreadguide E adapted to bereciprocatedlongi: tudinally of the spindle. The'yarn 11 s wound on the bobbin 1) while being traversed by the guide E and the supply is hereillustrated as being delivered from a rotating spool F. The above named elements are all common to usual typesof winding'ma' chinesyand it is to be noted that they are here illustrated merely for gconveniencein vice into practice. It is therefore called to attention that the presentinvention is adapt 'no part of the present invention.

essentially, the main the stopping-lever J the yarn leads upf Speeification of Letters lPetent. Patentefl flct, 19 .1915, Applicationfi1ed February24, 1e14, seri lNaseaeoo.

ed to be applied to'other varieties of textile apparatus and can also be used with diiferent" forms of supplies suchas hanks or skeins held on. swifts, reels or runners. j

The supply spool F here illustrated may be held by, any suitable arrangement to adapt it to rotate to unwind the. yarn and as shown in the drawing is mounted. on a live-spindle G. The spindle G" is rotatable in bearings '72,, it formed on a bracket H-fastened to rods it, it, the latter being supported on the legs I which serve. as standards for thebase B of the winding machine Fast on the spindle G. is a grooved collar or brake-wheel 9 through which the rotation of the spindle and spool F is, controlled. Any suitable means "may. be used to apply fric'tion'to the brake-wheel 5 to resist the rotation of the spool, but

as here illustrated I prefer to.employ the simple expedient of *a strap' or cord 9 wrapped around the wheel and carrying weights suspended at its, end.

weightsg the proper friction can be apyiad 's to or subtracting from the number of plied to prevent the spool F fromro'tating too. freelyunder the draft of the 'yarn iy and't'o' applytlieproper tensionto tl e' material. From the spool F .the yarn leads up through a stopping-lever J which serves as an element ofthe controlling-mechanism of "the winding machine, 'but 'is' not liere' shown or described "in detail fsince forms ofthepresent invention and will now be described in detail;

Mounted on the'tppoflthe framei'A of the machine are a series of yokesfor'inverted U-shaped brackets L which support a lon gitudinally-extendingrod or .bar "The rod is. preferablyrectangular in cross section. and serves as a sup p ortifor theivertioal brackets orstandardsj'N which carry the'compensatonarmsK. Only -onebracket 1 L and arm K are here shown' but it; will be understood that these are arran ed in serles corresponding to the number ofwind are . ing or springing back too far. words, the spring S acts as a shock absorber ing-spindles (liprojecting from the frame- A. The standard N is held on the rod M by any suitable means, such as the set-screw n shown in Fig. 2, and at its upper extremity. is formed with a suitable bearing for the pivot-pin 7c of the arm K, see Fig. 1. Preferably, the armK is constructed of round rod or heavy wire and is passed through a sleeve O having an offset hub 0 forthe pivot-pin or stud 7a. A set-screw 0- serves to hold the arm K in its bearing in the sleeve 0 while allowing longitudinal ad justment thereof to provide-for altering the position of the guide or pulley 7c inrelation. to the pivot of the arm. Adapted to be slidably adjusted on the arm K are two yoke-shaped clamp-members P, P held in place by the set-screws 79, 79. Fastened to the clamps 1 P are two coiled springs S, S arranged at either side of the pivot is of the arm K. The lower ends of the springs S, S. are secured to the rightangled portions r of two vertically-adjustv able, L-shaped rods R, R, see Fig. 3, which areheld on the standard N. Referring to Fig. 2, the rods R are preferably fitted to slide in holes a, n in the base a of the standard N and are held in place by the set-screws r, 7". The two springs S, S act in opposition to each other to control the movement of the compensator-arm K, and preferably the spring S is of slightly greater resilience than the spring S.

The operation of the complete device is as follows: The yarn .y is led from the spool F through the guide at the end of the stopping-lever J and thence up over the wheel or guide on the compensator-arm K.

From the guide 70 the yarn leads down through the thread-guide E to the bobbin Z) and is wound thereon in the usual manner.

When the winding-spindle is first started there will be a greater resistance to the de livery of the yarn from the spool F than after the spool has once commenced to rotate. That is to say, it is first necessary to overcome the inertia .of'the spool F and its spindle G, and to compensate for this abnor mal resistance to'delivery as the yarn starts to funwind the arm K will be drawn clownwardly against the tension of the spring S. Now, after the spool F starts to turn it will gain momentum very quickly and is liable to.

overrun so that more yarn is given off than required. The arm K then acts to compensate for this excessive rotation of the spool by swinging upwardly under tension of the spring S to take up the slack in the yarn and prevent it from kinking or snarling between the spool and the bobbin. At this point the auxiliary spring S comes into play to gradually check the upward movement of the arm K and prevent it from rebound- In other it also serves to neutralize any excessive tension of draft during irregularities in the rotation of the spool. For instance, if the yarn happens to catch on the spool during the unwinding, or if its delivery therefrom is restricted or impeded in any way, the arm K will be drawn downwardly to stretch the spring S. As the spring S is lengthened underthis action of the arm Kits tension increases gradually until the pull on the yarn becomes suflicient to free it from the spool and the arm K will then swing upwardly again to take up the extra slack. Now,

as the yarn becomes suddenly free from the spool it will have a tendency to give an added impulse of rotation to the latter which is liable to causethe spool to overrun and delivermore yarnthan required. Ihis tendency of the yarn to jerk on the spool is nullified by the action of the bufferspring S. That is to say, the arm K is re- I.

strained from a sudden rebound or upward movement and hence the slack is taken up so gradually that the yarn will not act on the spool to still further accelerate its speed of rotation. As the yarn winds from the small diameter up to. the large diameter on the tapered nose of the bobbin and back again, there is a constant change in the draft on the yarn. That is, more yarn is taken up at the point where the yarn winds on the large diameter than where it is winding on the extreme point of the bobbin and as the thread-guide reciprocates very rapidly these changes in the draft are quite sudden. During these intermittentvariations in the pull on the yarn the compensator-arm K plays up and down continuously, and by taking up and paying out the slack overcomes the jerking action on the spool. By regulating the movement of the arm K 1n both directions a smooth, sensitive. response is made i arm K takes up the slackonly in proportion to its relief so that no sudden strain is imposed on the material and no added impulse is given to the rotation of the spool. By adjusting the clamps P, P toward or away from the pivot is of the arm K, the springs S, S can be balanced to control the arm as best suited to the conditions of the be varied according to the requirements of different materials being unwound by adjusting the rods R, R upand down'in their slots. 1

I am aware that spring-operated arms have previously been used in the art for controlling the delivery of yarn from rotating spools or other supplies. Heretofore, however, the control of the arm has been in one direction only, and as far as I am aware it has never been proposed to employ a shock-absorbing element. or buffer-spring to prevent excessive movement of the arm under action of its main spring It is thought that the present arrangement is the first disclosure of a means for balancing the compensator-arm or lever against quick movement under sudden release of tension on the yarn, and it is believed that this construction shows meritorious improvement in the art.

Various modifications might be made. in

the form and structure of the parts of my device 'without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention; therefore, without limiting myself to the exact embodiment shown and described,

1. In a compensator-device for controlling the unwinding of yarn, thread or the like, the combination with a pivoted arm, of a guide at the end of said arm over which the yarn draws, a spring engaging the arm on one side of its pivot to resist its movement under the influence of increasing tension of draft on the yarn, and a second spring engaging the arm on the opposite side of its pivot to resistits movement under action of the first spring to prevent the arm from rebounding when the tension on the yarn is relieved.

2. In a compensator-device for controlling the unwinding of yarn, thread or the like, the combination with a pivoted arm adapted to be operated upon by the running yarn, of a spring secured to said arm at one side of its pivot to control its movement under the action of increasing tension on the yarn, a-second sprlng secured to the arm on the opposite sideqof its pivot'to check its relation to the pivot of the arm to regulate winding and the tension of the springs may I the balance of the springs.

3. In a compensatondevice for controlling the 'unwindingof yarn, thread or the like, the combination with a pivoted arm adapted to be operated upon by the running yarn,of a spring connected to said arm at one side of its pivot, a second spring connected to the arm on the opposite side of its pivot to check the movement of the arm under the. action of the first spring," means to adjust the connecting-means for the sprlngs along the arm in relation to 1ts pivot, and means to varythe tension of the springs; 4. In a compensator-device for controlling" the unwinding o-f yarn, thread or the like, the combination with a standard, of

an arm pivoted on said standard to adapt it to be operated upon by the running yarn, springs connected to the arm on the opposite sides of its pivot, means to adjust the points of connection of the springs along the arm,

rods connected to the opposite ends of the springs, and means for securing the rods to the standard to allow longitudinal adjustment thereof to vary the tension of the springs. v

5. In a compensator-device for controlling the unwinding of yarn, thread'or the like, the combination with a standard, of an arm pivoted on said standard to adapt it to be oscillated. from variations in the tension of the yarn operating thereupon, springs connected with said arm;on opposite sides of its pivot, rods mounted to slide in bearings on the standard and connected to the opposite ends of the springs, and means to secure the rods in their bearings to allow adjustmentthereof to vary the tension of the springs. I y In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE MARCROFT.

Witnesses: i

ARTHUR A. ARMINGTON, HERBERT vK. ALLARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. v 

